A recent analysis of the National Center for Health Statistics estimated that 4.3 million non-institutionalized people in the United States had difficulty reading the newspaper with their corrected vision--a functional definition of perceived limitations termed "Severe Visual Impairment" (Nelson and Dimitrova, JVIP, March, 1993). An additional 2.3 million people also reported difficulty with seeing medium to far distances. Another recent study (Chiang, et. al, Milbank Quarterly, 1992) estimates 1.1 million people are legally blind under the definition of tested acuity (&lt;20/200). Many other disabilities prevent persons from reading print. In addition to people who are blind or have low vision and may not be able to see the print, there are many stroke, head-injured, autistic and dyslexic (or even just educationally impaired) persons who may not be able to assimilate printed language even though they can see the page. Many people can accept this information through speech.
In recent years an information and wayfinding system has been developed for assisting blind, low-visioned and otherwise print-handicapped individuals. The system, marketed under the trademark Talking Signs, consists of infrared transmitters and receivers. Transmitters are placed on key signs in the environment which continually transmit the message of the sign. The receiver is carried by the person who activates it when direction or information is desired.
A widely-used, highly popular method of conducting monetary transactions involves use of automatic teller machines, commonly referred to as ATMs. Credit card processing machines, which permit monetary transactions to occur through the use of small cards which carry information about the person to whom the card is issued on a magnetic strip, also remain widely used, as do conventional vending machines, public telephones and the like which accept hard currency. In addition, cards which hold a wide variety of information and which may be credited or debited at a given transaction site, the so-called integrated circuit or "smart" cards, are expected to become widely used in conjunction with card-receiving integrated circuit card readers and located in variety of settings, including, for example, vending machines, checkout counters, copy centers, gasoline station pumps, and just about every other place in which money may be exchanged. As used in this description and in the appended claims, ICC terminal or ICCT shall refer to an integrated circuit card reader in combination with at least one other mechanical or electrical device in such a setting. Each of these automated monetary transaction machines can be used as stand-alone machines, or as components of commercial kiosks used for automated vending of goods or services. Such commercial kiosks are growing in popularity, as are informational kiosks or portals in which a user may obtain a wide variety of information and services from a computer screen or other automated audio and/or visual device (e.g., touch screen monitors) without the need of human assistance. Such commercial and information kiosks (sometimes collectively referred to in this disclosure and the appended claims as information kiosks or IKs) are commonly found today in airport, bus and train terminals, hotels, convention centers, amusement parks, shopping malls, and in many other locations where consumers are seeking information about the surrounding community or place of business. Unfortunately, heretofore such information kiosk systems, ICC terminals, automatic teller machines, conventional credit card processing machines, vending and other coin-operated machines, public telephones and like automated information or monetary transaction machines or terminals (collectively referred to in this disclosure and the appended claims as automated transaction machines or AUTOMACs) have had extremely limited accessibility for sight-impaired persons and print-disabled persons. Even if an AUTOMAC were to be provided with tactile displays, such as instructions in Braille, the individual would have to be at the location of the machine before the person could identify the information it bears. Moreover, the person would have to search for the location of such displays and the location of the relevant customer interacting means of the machine, such as, in the case of automatic teller machines, the bank card reader, the banking record dispenser, the cash dispenser, and slot or other mechanism for receiving bank deposits. And in addition, even after making use of the AUTOMAC the person would have to make the assumption that the desired monetary or informational transactions were in fact accomplished. No positive on-the-spot reassuring feedback is available to the sight-impaired person or the print-disabled person.
A need thus exists for an effective way by which an AUTOMAC can be rendered accessible and user-friendly to sight-impaired persons and to print-disabled persons, without in any way diminishing the utility of the machine for persons who are not sight-impaired or print-disabled. In fulfilling this need, it is also highly important not to interfere with the operation of the machine, or necessitate major or costly modification of machine apparatus. This invention is deemed to fulfill this need and to satisfy these requirements in a highly effective and efficient manner.